Continuous production of packages containing a zig-zag folded strip of wadding or cotton wool material



Oct. 6, 1964 F. WITSCHI 3,151,376 CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION OF PACKAGESCONTAINING A ZIG-ZAG FOLDED STRIP OF WADDING OR COTTON WOOL MATERIALOriginal Filed Dec. 10. 1957 United States Patent CONTINUOUS PRODUCTIONOF PACKAGES CON- TAINING A ZIG-ZAG FOLDED STRIP 0F WAD- DING OR COTTONWOOL MATERIAL Fritz Witschi, Schaffhausen, Switzerland, assignor to IVFBandage Machinery Company Schalfhausen, Schalfhausen, Switzerland, acorporation Original application Dec. 10, 1957, Ser. No. 701,825, nowPatent No. 3,081,658, dated Mar. 19, 1963. Divided and this applicationSept. 26, 1962, Ser. No. 233,168

6 Claims. (Cl. 2872) This invention relates to a method for continuouslyproducing packages each containing a strip of wadding or cotton woolmaterial folded zig-zag fashion inside the package.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No.701,825, filed on December 10, 1957, now Patent No. 3,081,658, issued onMarch 19, 1963.

According to the invention a stripof wadding or cotton wool materialfrom which the'desired lengths can be cut is obtained directly from aweb leaving a carding machine by continuously winding the web into amultiple lap whilst simultaneously axially advancing the lap andcontinuously longitudinally cutting a strip containing the thickness ofthe lap from the leading edge of the lap at a distance therefrom whichcorresponds to the desired width of the strip, and then longitudinallydrawing the strip away.

The method may be performed, for example, by means of a revolvingwinding mandrel which is arranged with its axis of rotation extendingacross the delivery end of the card. For the purpose of axiallyadvancing the lap on the mandrel, feed means are arranged on the mandrelin such a manner as to permit the mandrel and the multiple layer lap torevolve as a unit.

The method of the invention may be practiced by means of apparatus suchas that shown in the accompanying drawing and described in detail in thespecification which follows.

Referring to the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the principal elements ofthe apparatus.

FIG. 2 is an axial section of the lap winding drum and the circularcutters comprised in the apparatus.

FIG. 2A is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 2A2A of FIG. 2, ofa support column for cutters in the apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a cross section through part of the lapwinding drum.

In FIG. 1, is the doifer of the carding machine from which by means of astripper comb 12 the webis detached in the conventional manner and takenon to a revolving drum 13. Distributed equidistantly over the peripheralsurface 15 of the drum are several endless conveyor belts 14 so arrangedthat the outer belt sections are parallel with the drum axis, and eachbelt runs over a drive roller 16 at one end of the drum and over areturn roller 17 at the other. The drive rollers 16 drive all theconveyor belts 14 in the same direction of travel and at the same speed,the return rollers 17 being individually adjustable on the drum in theaxial direction to control the tension of each individual belt. Theshafts 18 of the drive rollers 16 are articulated together, as shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, and they are driven through a common worm gearing 19 by asprocket wheel 21, loosely mounted on the shaft 20 of the drum andadjustably rotated through the drum shaft 20 via a sprocket wheel 22secured thereto and a variable speed gear not specially shown.

The web 11 is wound by means of the revolving drum into a multiple lap23 which is simultaneously continuously traversed by the conveyor belts14 in the axial direction for the reception of 3,151,376, Patented Oct.6, 1964 towards the return rollers 17. The web is therefore wound on thedrum into continuous helically lapped layers of wadding or cotton woolmaterial. Two cooperating revolving circular cutters 24 and 25continuously cut a strip 26 of wadding or cotton wool materialcontaining the thickness of the lap longitudinally from that edge of thelap which travels outwards beyond the return rollers, the cut beingperformed at a distance from the momentary leading edge of the advancinglap which will depend upon the amount by which the lap is advanced perrevolution of the drum, and this strip is continuously drawn away fromthe lap.

The cut performed by the circular cutting knives will run along a helixdetermined by the outside edge of that layer which has advanced as faras the cutter knife 24. The two parallel axes of rotation of the twocircular cutters 24 and 25, must therefore, be set at an angle to thedirection of traverse of the lap, and this angle will depend upon thepitch of the helix, that is to say, upon the distance through which theweb is axially advanced in the course of each revolution of the drum.For setting and adjusting this angle in conformity with the speed ofadvance, the two circular cutters and their common frame are pivotallymounted for adjustment about a vertical axis, as shown in FIG. 2A, whichcontains the point at which the cutters bite into the material andintersects the axis of the lap, and which is located in the column 38.

The circular cutter 24 on the outside of the lap is a thin, slightlycone shaped annular ring resembling the edge of a dinner plate of whichthe inner rim is clamped into a hub 27, whereas the outer rim has abevelled cutting edge 28. The other circular cutter 25 is a recesseddisc with an outer cylindrical flange of which the narrow edge has ahollow, conical profile to form the cooperative cutting edge 29. Thecircular cutter 24 radially only slightly overlaps the edge of thecooperating cutter 25 and is elastically urged into contact therewith sothat the two cutters are selfgrinding as they rotate.

The speed of the cutters depends upon the speed of the drum, thecircular cutter 25 on the inside of the lap preferably being driven at aslightly higher speed than the circular cutter 24.

The strip 26 of wadding or cotton wool material 26 is drawn off inconformity with the speed of rotation of the drum 13 by a pair ofdrawing-off rollers 30 which compress the strip and deliver it to asecond pair of drawing-oif rollers 31. Between this second and a thirdpair of drawing-off rollers 32 is an electrically controlledcrosscutting device 33 which cuts sections of the desired length orpre-determined weight off the wadding or cotton wool strip in theconventional manner while the pairs of rollers 31 and 32 are arrested;Meanwhile the first pair of drawing-off rollers 30 continues to feed andcauses the creation of a loop in the material between itself and thenext following pair of rollers 31. When the arrested pair of rollers 31,32 again start revolving their slightly higher speed over the first pairof rollers just takes up this loop during the interval until they arearrested again. The severed section 34 is fed from the third pair ofrollers 32 to a pair of pleating rollers 35 adapted to rise and falltransversely across the flat side of the severed strip 34 immediately infront of a stationary guide 36 intended the package of wadding or cottonwool material, for the purpose of folding into regular zig-zag pleatsthe strip of wadding or cotton wool material as it enters the guide. Thewrapper 37 is pushed on to the guide 36 and retracted after having beenfilled with the strip of wadding or cotton wool material 26, and thepacking 37 can then be closed.

Since, on the one hand, the feed of the conveyor belts per revolution ofthe drum can be adjusted to vary the width of the strip, the guide, onthe other hand, can be 3 5 adapted or exchanged to fit the resultantwidth of the strip.

twill be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes andmodifications may be made in the method herein shown and describedwithout departing from the Spirit and scope of theinvention as definedin the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A method of continuously producing packages each containing a lengthof wadding material in strip form folded zig-zag fashion inside thepackage, said method comprising the steps of: winding a carded web offibrous material of uniform thickness cylindrically with respect to afixed axis to form a plurality of superposed layers having a totalthickness which constitutes the thickness of said material in stripform; advancing said carded web longitudinally of said axis at a speedwhich bears a fixed ratio to the speed of said winding step, saidadvancing step being performed simultaneously with said winding step;continuously cutting an end portion of the cylinder formed by saidwinding and advancing steps to obtain said material in strip form;severing said material in strip form to provide a series of separatestrips of uniform length; folding each of said separate strips inzig-zag fashion to form a packageable unit; and separately packagingeach of said strips after said folding step. c

2. The method of forming a multiple layer strip from the output web of acarding engine which comprises the steps of: continuously winding saidWeb into the form of a cylinder the wall of which consists of aplurality of layers of said web; continuously displacing said cylinderwall axially during the winding of the web by which said Wall is formed,the speed of said axial displacement being at a velocity which bears afixed predetermined ratio to the delivery velocity of said web;continuously forming a helical cut in said hollow cylinder commencing atits leading edge to sever a continuous strip of uniform width therefrom,said strip consisting of a plurality of superposed portions of said web,and forwarding said continuous strip.

3. The method according to claim 2 which comprises the further step ofcutting said continuous strip into a series of separate strips ofpredetermined lengths 4. The method according to claim 2 which comprisesthe further steps of cutting said continuous strip into a series ofseparate strips and individually packaging each of said separate strips.

5. The method according to claim 2 which comprises the further steps ofcutting said continuous strip into a series of separate strips, andfolding said separate strips along uniformly spaced transverselyextending crease lines.

6. The method according to claim 5 comprising the further step ofindividually packaging each of said folded strips.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,422,581 Laurency et al. July 11, 1922 1,756,171 Bommer Apr. 29, 19302,388,591 Andreas Nov. 6, 1945 2,421,750 Gannett -h June 10, 19472,439,903 OConnell Apr. 20, 1948 2,641,317 Pasold June 9, 1953

1. A METHOD OF CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCING PACKAGES EACH CONTAINING A LENGTHOF WADDING MATERIAL IN STRIP FORM FOLDED ZIG-ZAG FASHION INSIDE THEPACKAGE, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: WINDING A CARDED WEB OFFIBROUS MATERIAL OF UNIFORM THICKNESS CYLINDRICALLY WITH RESPECT TO AFIXED AXIS TO FORM A PLURALITY OF SUPERPOSED LAYERS HAVING A TOTALTHICKNESS WHICH CONSTITUTES THE THICKNESS OF SAID MATERIAL IN STRIPFORM; ADVANCING SAID CARDED WEB LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID AXIS AT A SPEEDWHICH BEARS A FIXED RATIO TO THE SPEED OF SAID WINDING STEP, SAIDADVANCING STEP BEING PERFORMED SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH SAID WINDING STEP;CONTINUOUSLY CUTTING AN END PORTION OF THE CYLINDER FORMED BY SAIDWINDING AND ADVANCING STEPS TO OBTAIN SAID MATERIAL IN STRIP FORM;SEVERING SAID MATERIAL IN STRIP FORM TO PROVIDE A SERIES OF SEPARATESTRIPS OF UNIFORMS LENGTH; FOLDING EACH OF SAID SEPARATE STRIPS INZIG-ZAG FASHION TO FORM A PACKAGEABLE UNIT; AND SEPARATELY PACKAGINGEACH OF SAID STRIPS AFTER SAID FOLDING STEP.